Movie Buffs On The Internet

Films, film series and film stars all have warranted websites dedicated to them by fans. There seems to be a level of cooperation among film studios and fan sites - at least, the responsible ones. Movie companies recognize the value of Internet exposure and are eager to take advantage of it: that is as long as they feel that the Internet sites are not taking advantage of them.

There are two basic types of film related fan sites, those devoted to actors and those devoted to films. Film sites are generally run or commissioned by the studios as part of the film's marketing, whereas sites devoted to a particular actor may be more numerous and run the gamut between small, "one fan" operations to "official" sites set up by the actor or the actor's representation. This is not to say that all film sites are run by studios, as many very successful films or film series have fan sites devoted to them that are completely independent of the studios.

For example, a fan site on Johnny Depp has photos and screensavers along with the standard filmography and biography - and a fairly active fan forum; almost entirely worshipful. Alternately, the studio-run official film site for "Pirates of the Caribbean" is nicely laid out, featuring still photos, trailers and bios on all the actors along with an active - and moderated - forum. The rules for posting: no profanity, no double posting and no insults directed at other posters. In both cases, the movie and the star get excellent exposure, while negative commentary seems limited to "they could had made a great film better if..."

The Issue of Fair Use

Here it's worth exploring the notion of "fair use" as applied to film clips, audio bites and other representations taken from commercial movie fare. The law that applies to the use of copyrighted material by independent parties is guided by a principal called fair use. This principal holds that limited use of copyrighted material is permissible for the purposes of "commentary and criticism".

Fair Use is primarily the concern of the private, non-affiliated fan sites. Studio-run film sites use clips without concern, as the studio that owns the clips is running the site.

Fair Use and the Courts

There have been many lawsuits over this issue and many interpretations of the law. Generally, the less material you lift the less exposure you incur. It has also been held that if you are using copyrighted material without a license, you may not take the "heart" of the product you are lifting from. Neither may you compromise the financial rights of the copyright holder; reproducing content in such a way as the rights holder is denied future commercial gain.

Video Segments Online

That said, the Internet is jammed with video segments lifted from movies. Often, you will find a fan site with film excerpts on it that has an advertisement for an upcoming studio release displayed on the page. The studios understand that these fan pages are the best example of targeted advertising that can be found. While the fan page may be about an actor or actress that has no role in the advertised film, nonetheless people who visit the site are going to be reliable filmgoers.

General Fan Sites

One of the interesting sites dedicated to a film series is the Star Wars Library at http://takeoff.to/starwarslibrary. This site contains no film clips, but instead features fan fiction, parodies, photos, fan art, and articles. There's a fair amount of thoughtful material on the site, and some hilarious pictures as well: for example, the Krispy Kreme donut wedding cake with Luke Skywalker and the Princess on top, nested in satin hearts. The list of fan sites provided in the Library is broken into categories: movies; actors and actresses; rivalries and relationships; and groups and factions. That is a list of fan sites that should meet any need.

Some sites take a broader approach. A site like http://www.thefilmfrontier.com covers multiple franchises, including Star Trek, Star Wars, and the Superman films. The diversity in the site covers the owner's varying tastes, so it's not limited to a single film, actor, or even film franchise. The broad umbrella of sci-fi / fantasy applies, but it appeals to a wider cross-section of fans, providing something for anyone interested in the individual elements or all of them as a whole.

Zeitgeist: A Movie For The Time

Since June 2007, the movie "ZEITGEIST" has been taking the internet by storm. As of December 2007, ZEITGEIST had already gathered more than 6 million hits, making it one of the most popular online videos of all time. In fact, on Google video, ZEITGEIST was the no. 1 video for the months of November and December 2007, and there doesn't seem to be any stopping it. The movie's creator, Peter Joseph, has reported some 40,000 to 60,000 hits to his website, ZEITGEISTmovie.com, per day! Also, in November 2007, ZEITGEIST was presented a "Best Feature" award at the prestigious Artivists Film Festival at the Egyptian theater in Hollywood. As one of the sources for Part 1 of ZEITGEIST, I was in attendance as a featured panel speaker addressing some 650 people, who shared a mind-blowing evening. Both Peter and I have also done several radio programs addressing the subjects raised in ZEITGEIST, with me specializing in Part 1. The movie's narration has also been translated into a number of languages, including German. Truly, ZEITGEIST is a global phenomenon!

What is so special about ZEITGEIST that it has attracted so much attention? First of all, the movie is done in a very powerful manner - and, secondly, its message is controversial, to say the least! Since my work inspired some of Part 1, I can only discuss as an expert that segment, which deals with religious conspiracy. Part 1, in fact, claims that our modern religions, including and especially Christianity, are not "original" or "new revelation" but remakes of ancient faiths, particularly that of the Egyptians. In my books, "The Christ Conspiracy" and "Suns of God," I have striven to demonstrate that fact, with a combined 1000+ pages of fascinating research as to the true meaning of religion. Because of the intense controversy surrounding ZEITGEIST, with forums all over the net engaged in heated debates over the movie, I have now completed an ebook specifically addressing some of the comparisons between the Egyptian religion and Christianity. This new ebook is called "The Companion Guide to ZEITGEIST, Part 1," and it scientifically examines the purported parallels between the Egyptian god Horus and the Jewish godman Jesus, including whether or not Horus was born on December 25th of a "virgin," among other important assertions made in ZEITGEIST. The research on this subject was so abundant that I was unable to put it all into an ebook. In almost 50 pages, I did, however, manage to highlight these significant issues, including ancient resources in their original languages, with translations!

It is the fervent belief of both the creator of ZEITGEIST and me that this information is extremely important in this day and age, in order to further cultural understanding and bring greater peace to the planet, as well as to provide an insight into the working of society's elite, who may not have in mind the best interests of the common man. In this regard, we have taken the risk of bringing this controversial and often contentious material to the public eye, with the hopes of greater enlightenment worldwide.